Kimberly Wiggins, aged 47, from Solihull and her son Dexter, aged 12, were invited to test our new virtual reality headsets funded by our Children’s Hospital Charity. Virtual reality is currently used by our specialist Play and Youth Service to support patients over the age of seven years old as a distraction technique during minor medical procedures and as an alternative for general anaesthesia.

As a patient at the hospital, Dexter wanted to lend a hand and give his honest review of the technology, so we can look towards making our patient experience better.

Dexter’s mum, Kimberly said: “Dexter loved testing out and reviewing the virtual reality headsets. It was nice to see him enjoying himself, having fun and wanting to help other children. The technology has really helped take his mind off being in the hospital and he felt most relaxed with the animal virtual reality effects. It was fantastic for Dexter to be able to help play a part in making the patient experience better for other children.”

Following a number of successful trials across our hospital, we’ve proved using virtual reality technology has huge benefits for patients, families and for our staff, saving time, money and most importantly ensuring our children are relaxed, happy, and able to deal with a range of otherwise difficult procedures. This has seen VR headsets introduced in a number of clinical settings, including cardiology, burns and oncology.

Chloe Dixon, our VR Hospital Play Specialist, said: “Virtual reality is proving to be a fantastic tool to support children and young people with a variety of procedures, reducing anxieties and managing pain. The devices have shown to improve patient, family and staff outcomes, making the hospital journey relaxed, manageable and fun. 

“I would also like to say a huge thank you to Dexter, his feedback was crucial in our decision making and providing the virtual reality companies with new ideas.”

The Play and Youth Team, together with charitable support, is currently looking at filming hospital areas in order to create a virtual tour, which will be used to put children and young people at ease ahead of their visit. Being in a new and unfamiliar environment can be challenging for children, even more so for neurodivergent children and young people. Having a tour ahead of their medical procedures will be a new technique used to support relaxation and reduce overstimulation.

Help us continue to make this technology part of our daily care so we can significantly improve the experience and clinical outcomes for all our patients. 

Click here to learn more about virtual reality at our hospital.